This study measured the extent of reading deficiencies in the United States. The research focused on reading skills that are required to cope with everyday experiences common to the lives of most Americans. Interviews were conducted with randomly designated respondents in 100 different locations throughout the country. The national sample used is based on the 1970 census. For scoring purposes, the material in the questionnaire was divided into 10 separate sections or series: (1) telephone dialing series, (2) classified housing ads, (3) classified employment ads, (4-10) the application form: (a) personal identification series, (b) employment series, (c) income series, (d) housing series, (e) automobile series, (f) medical series, and (g) citizenship series. It is concluded that 4% of the U.S. population 16 years of age and older (approximately 5,649 adults) suffers from serious deficiencies in functional reading abilities. The reading difficulty index for blacks (64) is nearly three times as high as that for whites (22). Income level and age are two other indicators of reading ability. Easterners and Southerners scored lower than those in the Midwest and West. An appendix presents the statistical treatment of the questionnaire data, as well as a copy of the eight-page questionnaire. (CK)